Matthew Knies returns tonight, and he explains the real reason he had to step away
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies returns on Wednesday against Columbus, and revealed the real reason why he needed a few games off and his return comes after a sudden and mysterious absence that left fans demanding answers.
As the team navigates this season amidst a slew of injuries, one of the more glaring ones was that of Matthew Knies'. It was one that came completely out of the blue and at the last-minute, and Toronto was suddenly down one of their top producers -- Toronto's forward depth collapsed during his absence, forcing major line juggling.
Although they have tried their best without him, Knies in the fold would improve the team drastically, and his consistent appearances at practice show that he is close to returning.
According to David Alter of The Hockey News, Knies is expected to start against Columbus, making his return after a three-game absence.
What Knies revealed about the injury he's been hiding
Knies also revealed to Alter that the reason he stepped aside was that he had been playing through the injury for weeks before finally sitting out:
Matthew Knies is set to return tonight. Says the lower-body issue he had been dealing with first popped up a month ago. Came to the realization he was going to need some time to let it recover. Says he's confident it's healed enough to make an impact.
It shows a great level of maturity for the young power forward to recognize he wasn't 100% and instead of pushing through it for the sake of the team, decided to take a break and come back ready to help the Maple Leafs at full strength.
His return gives Craig Berube his first major reinforcement as Toronto tries to stop its slide and seeing one of their injured stars coming back sparks hope for other returns like Auston Matthews'.
Knies, 23, has been stellar this season with 22 points in 19 games (5 goals, 17 assists) while also adding 50 hits and a plus-four rating.
Toronto will be very happy to see him back, although there is no current indication of where Knies will line up nor has been told if or where he is playing tonight with his placement will be determined closer to game time.
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